The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-08-13
the THAMES.
Mysteries which Mark the History Of
the Great English Water.


London Correspondence.
Although the dark arches leading
down to the riverside from the va
rious small streets and courts abutt
ing on the southern side of the
Strand have long since passed away
and are not even available for fic-
tional purposes such as the late
Charles Dickens was wont to EN-.
ploy them for in his stirring real
istic works, old Father Thames has
still much to answer for i'm the way
of unaccountable and mysterious
disappearance, and hardly a week
passes without one or more inquests
being held on the bodies of persons
drowned but, as the jury phrase it
in returning their verdict, How or
when they came into the water
there is no evidence TO determine. "
Nervous individuals of certain
type have a morbid feeling ever be-
fore them that many murders are
annually committed through the
medium of the river, and it is, to
say the least of it, worthy of note
that many of the reclaimed bodies
bear in the shape of marks and
bruises presumptive evidence to de-
note that there has been foul play
somewhere, although in such cases
it is rarely that the crime (suppos-
ing that one has been committed J
is ever satisfactorily brought home
to any one.
SUICIDE.
Again, instances are by no means
uncommon of a man or woman be-
ing seen for the last time, by some
friend or acquaintance, at almost
any hour of the day or night, APP
parently in the best of health and
spirits, to be no more seen or heard
of until some time afterward, when
the fact of body having been
found in the Thames, and lying for
recognition in this or that mortua-
ry, induces some friend or relative
of the missing person to 60 and
see if by any chance the body is
that of the missing individual.
Should this turn out to be the case
and such a circumstance came
under our immediate cogni2ance
not very many years ago-a coron-
er's inquest is forthwith held, at
which the evidence of the last per-
son who saw the deceased alive and
that of the finder of the body do
little or nothing to clear up what
has to be added to the already
lengthy list of Thames mysteries.
In the case TO which we refer there
was not the slightest mark of vio-
lence, money and valuables were
all intact, and the idea of suicide
was secuted by those best qualified
to form an opinion as too utterly
preposterous to be entertained even
for a single moment.
Turning from the sombre side of
the subject, what a. vast field for
speculation is opened up by colt
sidering the enormous amount of
valuable property, watches, rings,
coins, and thousand and one other
unconsidered trifles that must be
imbdeded deep down in the mud
of the upper reaches of the river
Just below the landing stage above
the bridge at Eaton, it is computed
that there must, at one time or an
other, have been lost, beyond re-
covery, (for, although the water is
of no great depth there, the strong
undercurrent renders diving opera
tions out of the question J, sufficient
jewelry to set up moderately sized
jewelers. shop! And it is probable
that at other equally frequented
stages the loss must have been quite
as great, if not greater,
yALUABLEs LOST.
We ourselves have known val
liable watch lost in this way, and,
the owner being anxious to recover
his property, had a special diver
down from London to attempt its
recovery, and in the end his fees
(although, sad to relate, his best
efforts were unavailing) amounted
to more than the value of the watch
itself.
Although dredging operations are
continually being carried on in va
rious parts of the river, it is rarely
or never that anything of value is
brought to light, and 20 the only
natural supposition is that most of
the things must get swept seaward
when the heavy winter floods and !
subsequent spring tides reign SUI
premc.
Apropos of these, mention must |
not be omitted of the unaccounta-
BILE phenomenon which has now
three times occurred, in 1868, 1852 |
and 1777-namely, the tidal part of
the river ebbing and flowing twice
and three times, in the two former
years, within the space of three or
four hours, and on the last occasion
t,,.,na -, %braa hnrre ,ro;,,